The United States should prioritize the issue of Homelessness | Teen Ink

The United States should prioritize the issue of Homelessness

May 19, 2019
By Anonymous

            There are hundreds of homeless people around the world. Most of the time we don’t stop to think about those people living under bridges, walking around city to city hoping they find an opportunity to live a better life. In the Unites States in 2017 there was a report that there were 554,000 homeless people currently. We often consider the needy to be unintelligent, and bad people just because they made some wrong decisions in the past. But were wrong. Everyone deserves a second chance, even those who are homeless. The United States needs to act and understand that those people need help. They want to live a better life; shouldn’t the government give them a chance?
            Every person deserves to have a roof over there head, even if they are homeless. Some people think that just because some people are homeless they are unworthy of owning a place of their own. The homeless are people to, the only difference between you and them is that they made some poor decisions when they were younger. Those people deserve a second chance, I’m sure that they’ve changed their way of thinking after all that has occurred to them. The following testimony was given by Mr. Chairman to the U.S Senate which reads, “Decent, safe, and affordable home for every American family.” In the testimony above Chairman States that every person in the United States deserve to have a home or at least they should be permitted to have a shelter over their heads. The reason homeless people don’t have a place of their own is because society doesn’t think that those people are eligible. Also, we should think about the emotional homeless around the world. In order for those people to understand what it’s like and feels like to live in t a home to call there’s they should have experienced what it’s like living a home, with a roof over their heads, a home where they can feel safe. A home is much more than a roof over your head. A home is a place where you feel happy and comfortable to go to everyday, a home is a place where you should feel safe and protecting from the outside world. Do you think that the people sleeping under bridges in the cold, or in the heat know what it means to have a home? Well, let me tell you that those homeless individuals sleeping outside everyday are always worried about what they are going to eat and even where they are going to be sleeping the next night. That is why the government should start organizations and housing buildings where the homeless can go and turn their lives around.  These housing buildings and organizations would be built for the benefit for those in need.   
            Society should stop shaming and disrespecting the homeless. Many people ask themselves these questions; should they be supported? Or should their actions determine how we treat them? Many people believe that just because these unfortunate people are living on the street, maybe there appearance is not that great or they look “dangerous” makes them bad people. Or they say that those homeless people deserve a second chance. People have mixed feelings when it comes to the question whether or not they should help the homeless. It’s about time we stop shaming these innocent people and do something about it. According to a survey coordinated by the Housing and Urban Development (HUD), found out that 610,042 individuals were homeless in the year of 2013. Presently, a number of homeless shelters are being funded by church organizations. There only rule for the people coming into the shelter is that they need to give up there bad habits. For Example, they need to give up alcohol, “sinful” activities, and they must agree to have curfews. Which is a good thing that the head of the organizations does impose rules because if the homeless people are living or wanting to live in these shelters it’s because they’ve realized what great mistake they made in the past which means that they want to live a better life.
            Luckily, there are organizations that already do exist. There is an organization called High Hopes which was formed by the Volunteers of America. And it’s said to have helped a lot of individuals already. Of course many people as expected don’t think is worth it to have organizations for the homeless. Those people think that it is a waste of money and that those individuals will never change. The individuals that refute the idea of having shelters for the homeless, brought to the point that in 2017, over 553,000 Americans were homeless, 40 million people suffered with hunger and 40.6 million officially lived in poverty. They said that it was useless to start organizations to help these individuals because those people would never change, and there numbers would increase. But luckily, organizations like High Hopes exist. The Volunteers of America work to end homelessness through support services that include, addiction prevention, and emergency services, traditional houses, and permanent housing facilities. The following testimony is from a former homeless woman, Lee Ann, “If it weren’t for Hope House, I wouldn’t be here talking to you right now.” This woman is thanking the organization that turned her life around. In the quote she says that if it weren’t for the homeless shelter she would be out in the streets doing bad things that she would later regret. The High Hopes organization reaches out to the homeless people, they truly help them turn their lives around. Organizations like these inspire those who needs it most, they assure those individuals that it’s never too late to turn their lives around. 
            To sum up, homelessness is a serious problem in the United States. Society should give those individuals a second chance. They do not deserve all the hate that they get on a daily bases. The United States government should look more into this topic of homelessness because it is a serious problem. No person deserves to live under a bridge, eating food from trash cans, or even dyeing due to starvation, dehydration, and climate changes. The government needs to take a stance and help the millions of homeless people around the country.
 



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